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The wonderful world of the skin diver by JOE MACINNIS Five years ago I discovered a wonder- ful new world that calls me back with a siren voice more insistent than any the sea ever had for a sailor. This world lies deep below the surface of the water where strangely beautiful marine forests grow, where vari- colored fish accept you as another creature of the deep. It's a world where your body becomes weightless, free to move at will in three dimen- sions. It's the place that Capt. Jacques- Yves Cousteau, the famous French explorer who is the father of skin diving, has called The Silent World. Later in life (right now I am a second-year student in medicine at the University of Toronto) I hope to get a boat and make this world my habitat for a part of every day. It is no wonder to me that this sport has grown tremendously in re- cent years for it offers athletic and aesthetic pleasure that cannot be found in any other pastime. Figures are not available on the number of skin divers in Canada but the club to which I belong and where I am an instructor, has increased its member- ship from ten to ninety since last September. There are ten thousand divers in British Columbia alone. This is a sport that the whole family can enjoy. While men seem to outnumber women considerably I have seen children of ten and adults of sixty dive in safety and with great pleasure. To be sure, it helps to be a good swimmer but great skill is not es- sential. What is important, though, is to observe the basic rules of safety. I've given my version of these else- where on these pages. There are two kinds of skin diving. The first requires little equipment and is close in form to natural free swim- ming. The diver wears a face mask so Some safety rules for divers . When you decide to take up the sport, join a club that provides proper instruction. . Never dive alone. Even the most experienced divers use the buddy system just in case something goes wrong. . Take a medical examination before you start diving. . Learn life-saving so you can help in case of an accident. 5. Don't buy cheap equipment. Your life depends on it. . Always display a divers' flag as a warning to boatmen to stay 100 feet clear. . Be sure to clear your ears to relieve pressure when you are going down. Don't forget to exhale on the way up, other- wise you can damage your lungs. This last tip applies, of course, to SCUBA divers only. that he can see more readily when submerged, fins for swifter propul- sion and a snorkel, which is a hollow J-shaped, or S-shaped tube that en- ables him to breathe when his face is in the water. The end of the tube that is at the bottom of the J is inserted in the mouth and the stem sticks up out of the water, ensuring a continuous supply of air. When the diver sees something interesting far below, all he has to do is to fill his lungs with air and go down and investigate for as long as the air in his lungs holds out. When he comes to the surface he can readily blow the snorkel free of water and he is ready to continue his cruis- ing, face down. A Skin Diver's Shopping Guide In the five years | have been diving | have neverseen or heard of any approved equipment failing. Good equipment is readily available, so buy the best because your life may depend on its performance. Compared to other sports, skin diving is not an expensive pastime. Here are some approximate prices: --> For complete information about the skin diving clubs in Ontario write: Ontario Underwater Council, Box 422, Adelaide Street Post Office, Toronto. The Oshawa Times-- 'Ontario Today" --May 28, 1960 Fins or flippers... from $9. Spearguns... $12 to $70. DACRE RIVE The second kind requires more equipment and gives the diver greater time below the surface. This calls for metal tanks of pure, compressed air and an ingenious regulator which en- ables him to breathe freely, and natural- ly,on demand. This apparatus is called SCUBA, short for Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus, and will enable the diver to stay be- low, depending on the depth for as long as an hour. Weights, (I carry six pounds on my belt) help him to sub- merge and his depth is indicated by a gauge strapped to his wrist. I've often been down as far as 150 feet and there are instances of experienced divers going down twice that distance. How- ever, sports divers should never go below 150 feet. It's funny how you are always asked how far down you've gone. It's funny because your enjoy- ment of the sport does not depend on the depth to which you descend. The pleasure comes from the weightless, wonderful feeling you have. As you move past rock formations inquisitive fish may come up to your face mask and peer boldly at you. I'm not surprised that the seven astronauts being trained by the U.S. as the first men to go into space are receiving an intensive course in skin diving. Under water is the only place, except in space itself, where men can € Snorkel... fi Underwater c able from ab